Spectra Ensemble - Filip Rathé

Did you know that the cimbalom is the instrument that gives Hungarian gypsy music its unique shimmer? It is a sort of sitar or dulcimer whereby you hit the strings with two wooden clappers. A cimbalom virtuoso like Luigi Gaggero is able to do devilishly fast runs on it. You can hear the characteristic timbre of this instrument in the three contemporary works by two Hungarian and one Italian composer. Peter Eötvös (b. 1944) composed 'Psy', a chamber arrangement of 'Now Miss', the key work in his rich oeuvre. Like a sculptor, the composer modelled the raw material from the original. György Kurtág (b. 1926) wrote his song cycle 'The Messages of the late Miss R. V. Troussova' on the basis of the piece by the Russian writer Rimma Dalos. The songs tell a love story. Kurtág's direct musical language voices the emotions in a very expressive way. The success of the cycle signalled Kurtág's international breakthrough. As the pièce de résistance, you can hear the very first performance of the concerto for cimbalom by the Italian Luca Francesconi (b. 1956). In Belgium he is known first and foremost for his 'Ballata', a startling opera creation staged at La Monnaie. In this seasons' series of 'Creations' he features prominently with two new works and one symphony dedicated to him.